This people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.”
As a baptized Christians, one of our main duties is to proclaim the Word of God. Word of God is rooted on who Jesus is! Jesus became our Savior and Redeemer because of the many words he proclaimed. Aside from proclaiming, there is one thing that Jesus left behind for us to imitate and to follow: to put into practice what we have said!
The Pharisees and scribes know many things. Knowing things makes them above the ordinary people. These ordinary people became their point of preference especially in imposing rules based on what they think “rules come from God!” They created many rules or laws that enslaved them to be very particular in every detail, detail that sometimes are beyond even with their own capacities. They don’t bother to change it for the mere fact they didn’t try to do it. They just command and impose according to what is written and what is practiced. They don’t lift a hand for trying. How can see the effect on that if they don’t experience what is all about!
Like what had happened to the disciples of Jesus for eating with unclean hands. When they saw an opportunity to question the authority of Jesus, even it is unlawful, they insisted themselves just to put Jesus into a “hot” seat. The best thing to do is to scold him in the public by not observing the law based on the tradition of the people. In front of the people who lived out their lives by strict observance of the law. These laws were imposed and inculcated in their minds and if they will not obey, the LORD will punish him or even worst, they will be cursed by God.
How many times we insisted a certain decision which will affect the whole community? How many times we stand for our own principle which does not make all productive? How many times we uttered words that people cannot see in our lives? They are hypocrites! The very words of Jesus because they themselves do not know what they are talking about, they themselves do not know how to do it, they themselves do not know how to live it.
Every word we utter will be judged according to our own way of living. The words that come out from our mouth will be the judgment of the people to us. These words will be their starting point in making evaluation to our day-to-day living. Our way of live will be judged on every word we said, told or uttered. Our word will be congruent to what we are doing; our word is equaled to our deeds!
Most of the times, what are being said come from our hearts and what we utter comes from the very core of our being – inside our hearts. In our hearts, we can find our very self. No defilement, no mask need, no shield. We cannot deny the very core of our hearts. If Jesus uses his intelligence and not his hearts, we are not saved. It is in the heart of Jesus where our salvation comes from. It is in the heart of Jesus why he suffered and died. It is in the heart of Jesus why he opted to die in a very inhumane way – to die on the CROSS. Dying for the sake of one you love is a manifestation of a person who has a sincere love. Laying your very life for others is a result of an unconditional love. Love that has no boundaries, love that cares!
What we say should reflect the way we live. What we command should be a result of our own effort
and we practice it. What we preach should see in what we are doing. Preaching plus doing is equal to perfect love. We aspire for it every day even though we fail but the mere fact that we are trying our best, God will see it in a more positive way. Again, he did what he said, he became the best example and he loves us before we love him.
Many times, we uttered words that hurt. We oftentimes uttered words that are pleasing to the ear of people. Why? Is it a mere reflection of our own issues in life or it is we are jealous of the giftedness of others. We have our own giftedness side by side with our own limitations. We are not perfect nor mere a holy one but Jesus is inviting us “to be holy, as his Father is holy.” How? The words we utter should be the deed we have to live on. It should be our own way of life. It should be rooted in the love of Jesus Christ and where this love originates? It is in our HEARTS!
Thinking make us fool for ourselves but loving begets what God wants us to be. Deeply rooted inside us, and no one can take it in us anymore. Sometimes, we are blinded by our own emotions and feelings but that’s the dark side of loving but there is always a bright side and we should rely on that. Relying the brighter side makes our emotions and feelings more matured and God-fearing. We should cultivate that and one way of doing that is to live out what we say or utter.
Indeed, it will be more complicated but Jesus tells us things should be done like that. The presence of evil things will be there always but it is always secondary to what is the primary, the first one, to LOVE. The best thing that we can do, the good thing that we must do!
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